Three University of St. Thomas students performed in the Greater Houston Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of singing finalist recital last Saturday, which was hosted by Houston Baptist University.

The singing competition of GHNATS is held every spring and the winners are invited to sing a special recital in the fall.

The winners in the GHNATS competition last spring were three UST singers who won the first place. Alexandra Summerour won first in the sophomore women’s division, Christian Mondragon won first in the senior men’s division and Kaci Timmons won first place in the graduate division.

“Our student performers were excellent, prepared and represented UST very well,” said Dr. Brady Knapp, professor of music at University of St. Thomas. “The GHNATS competition includes universities competing from all over the Houston area and as far away as Lamar in Beaumont and Sam Houston State in Huntsville.

The National Association of Teachers of Singing is one of the largest professional singing organizations in the country and its members teach voice in dozens of local universities.

The recital is held in conjunction with an annual National Association of Teachers of Singing college vocal fair to recruit local high school students who are interested in becoming music majors in college.

Singing teachers and music professionals from major universities were in the audience.

“There were universities from all over Texas, as far as Dallas and Waco; also schools from Oklahoma and Louisiana were present,” Knapp said.

University of St. Thomas
The University of St. Thomas, dedicated to educating leaders of faith and character, is a private institution committed to the liberal arts and to the religious, ethical and intellectual tradition of Catholic higher education. St. Thomas is Houston’s only Catholic University and was founded by the Basilian Fathers in 1947.